Jose Mourinho leaves Chelsea after ninth Premier League defeat

Alexis Nunes looks back on a disastrous campaign for Jose Mourinho that led to him leaving Chelsea for the 2nd time.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has left the club "by mutual consent" after the defending Premier League champions suffered their ninth defeat of the season, the club announced on Thursday.

Seven months removed from their title, Chelsea have earned just 15 points from their first 16 league games and are in 16th place in the table. They are only one point above the relegation zone after losing 1-0 to newly promoted Bournemouth two weeks ago and 2-1 to table-topping Leicester on Monday night.

Sources told ESPN FC that intense discussions over Mourinho's position took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the club announced that he had left on Thursday. The manager's news conference scheduled for Friday has now been canceled.

Chelsea's statement read: "Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have today parted company by mutual consent. All at Chelsea thank Jose for his immense contribution since he returned as manager in the summer of 2013.

"His three league titles, FA Cup, Community Shield and three League Cup wins over two spells make him the most successful manager in our 110-year history. But both Jose and the board agreed results have not been good enough this season and believe it is in the best interests of both parties to go our separate ways.

"The club wishes to make clear Jose leaves us on good terms and will always remain a much-loved, respected and significant figure at Chelsea. His legacy at Stamford Bridge and in England has long been guaranteed and he will always be warmly welcomed back to Stamford Bridge.

"The club's focus is now on ensuring our talented squad reaches its potential. There will be no further comment until a new appointment is made."

As Jose Mourinho departs Chelsea, we look back at his finest soundbites in a tumultuous season.

Spanish sports newspaper AS had said earlier on Thursday that the agent of former Sevilla and Tottenham boss Juande Ramos was in London negotiating with Chelsea.

Ramos has been tipped to take charge on an interim basis until the end of the season, though Telegraph journalist Sam Wallace reported Guus Hiddink is set to return.

"You're not a big club if you don't have contingency plans for situations like this," he said. "We're a big club that has quality coaches embedded within the club, and I think we will be OK for Saturday. We will have competent people come up and help with preparation for the game."

Chelsea's 2-1 defeat at West Ham United on Oct. 24 had seen the board tentatively discussing the idea of dismissing the Portuguese, according to ESPN FC sources.

But with the club already crashing out of the Capital One Cup to Stoke and being 20 points off the top of the Premier League, owner Roman Abramovich has opted to take a reported £30 million hit on Mourinho, who signed a new four-year contract in the summer.

Jose Mourinho has now completed two stints as manager for owner Roman Abramovich at Chelsea.

Mourinho has now left Chelsea twice after departing the club by mutual consent in September 2007.

The coach was appointed by Abramovich in June 2004, having led Porto to league, cup and Champions League success the previous season at Porto, and he won the Premier League title and League Cup in his first year in England.

Another league title came the following season, with the coach then collecting an FA Cup and League Cup double in the 2006-07 campaign.

But tensions with Abramovich saw Mourinho leave West London in 2007, and he took over at Inter for the start of the 2008-09 season.

The Portuguese won the Serie A title in his debut San Siro campaign, and led the Nerazzurri to the second Treble of his career in 2010 before departing for Real Madrid that summer.

Mourinho won the Copa del Rey in his first year in charge at the Bernabeu and then broke Barcelona's La Liga dominance with a title win in 2011-12.

He then left the Spanish capital in 2013 after what he described as the "worst season" of his career -- Real finished second in the league and reached the Copa del Rey final and Champions League semifinal -- and returned to Chelsea, with the Blues finishing third in 2013-14.

The coach won the league title and Capital One Cup last season but was unable to maintain the team's form this campaign.